Rene Descartes Accomplishments

Every day, people learn about certain topics or use various types of products. They don't realize or don't understand that a lot of hard work went into sparking the creation of those products or ideas. Today, without inventors and innovators we wouldn't be advanced in technology or have the ability to do tasks efficiently. The world would be completely different. René Descartes is a prime example of those who have paved the way for new ideas and creations.

Descartes was born in a French village named La Haye on March 31, 1596. His parents were Joachim Descartes and Jeanne Brochard. His father studied law and was a counselor in the Parliament of Brittany. Descartes had three siblings, two older and one younger. However, his younger brother

Descartes lived with his grandmother after his mother died. Throughout his childhood and up to his twenties, he was pale and had a persistent cough, which was probably due to tuberculosis. Descartes studied at the Jesuit college of La Flèche in Anjou. He entered the college at eleven years old and took courses in classics, logic, and traditional Aristotelian philosophy. He also studied all branches of mathematics and physics. At school, Descartes was allowed to sleep until 11 in the morning, instead of waking up at 5 am because he was always sick. In his final years at school, he studied natural philosophy, metaphysics, and ethics. He left the college in 1614. In 1616, he received a law degree from the University of Poitiers. His father encouraged him to study law, but after he received his law degree he decided not to pursue it. The only subject that appealed to him was mathematics. Mathematics became the foundation for his way of thinking and was to form the basis for all his works.

He died of pneumonia. He was buried at the Adolf Fredriks Church in Stockholm. Sixteen years later after his first burial, his remains were moved and buried in the Saint-Etienne-du-Mont Church in Paris, France. In 1819, his remains minus his skull and finger were moved again. He finally rests at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Près in Paris. However, there has been much controversy on where Descartes's skull is. It has been dug up and moved around so much that it has become lost. His body is basically spread out around Europe and he doesn't really have an official burial. Some believe that his bones were lost because of a revolutionary mob or because of the excavation of the church grounds for new roads. Many skulls have been discovered and claimed to be Descartes's skull, but the one that everyone thinks is his skull has an inscription on it stating that it's his. This skull also has a poem written on the front of it. As of now, no one really knows where the rest of his bones are; it remains a mystery. Overall, René Descartes has been one the most influential figures in history. He helped pave the way for mathematics and philosophy.